He discussed the social media movement that has him running for vice president and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich running for president in 2020, but also said he cannot envision a foray into politics.

The 52-year-old former player has been loud in his opposition to President Trump, one reason the team won’t make a customary visit to the White House to be recognized for its 2017 NBA championship. The logical time would be late February, when they play the Washington Wizards. After criticism from Kerr and players, Trump in late September preemptively uninvited them.

Kerr – who spent part of his childhood growing up in Lebanon and whose world view was forever changed by the 1984 assassination of his 52-year-old father, Malcolm, while he served as the president of the American University in Beirut – says he will continue to speak up in press conferences about everything from the President to gun violence.

Q: As troubled as you seem to be, is there some gratification for you in trying to share certain messages and sensibilities?

A: Yeah, and a lot of pride in our players' willingness to speak out. I don't know if you saw the Sally Yates column (written by the former acting attorney general in USA TODAY on Dec. 19). I read it this morning, and I tweeted it. It’s fantastic. But there's absolutely an assault on our institutions and on our core values as a country. She tweeted the preamble to the Constitution, which really sums up our country. And all those things are kind of under attack right now.